Those Were The Days
by RAWRmonsterrr
Summary: SPOILER This is a songfic that's a MAJOR spoiler to my story. CH3 UP! Sorry, i kno its late, but it took me 3 days to complete. It's about Mariah. Merry Christmas everyone!
1. Heaven

**Those Were The Days**

~Heaven~

~~~~~*****~~~~~ = flashback

~ = new scene

*Ray: Uh, what's this one about?

*Kai: Heh, I bet I can tell you...

*AnimePrincess: Heheh, w-why would you say that, Kai? ^ ^;

*Kai: *glare*

*Ray, Tyson, Max, Kenny: *laugh*

*AnimePrincess: *nervous laugh* Um... I don't know if I'm gonna make it just this chapter or add more around the other characters, but I'll leave that up to the Reviewers. Newho, Now on with the ficcie!

*Tyson: Well, can't you just tell us who it's about?

*AnimePrincess: Um... no!

*Max: Why not?

*Kai: o.O

*Ray: ^ ^;

*AnimePriness: Cuz... I dun wanna die! Read and Review Minna!

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I don't own Beyblade or The song that I'm using for this chapter. The song is by DJ Sammy & Yanou and it's called "Heaven" This is the slow version. K? Okie dokie.

  
  


*****BTW! this is a MAJOR spoiler to my other story, "Someone To Turn To," being it's not completed yet and all.... So if you want a sneak peak, then go ahead and read... but if you're the kind of person that likes surprises, then read this after I finish my other story, k? Okie... buhbyez!

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~~~~~*****~~~~~

******************************

I'm thinking about our younger years

******************************

"Oh come on, don't be such a party pooper!" A black haired girl yelled at a boy who was standing in the doorway to what looked like his apartment. She pushed him in the apartment and into a hallway to the bedrooms. "Now, which one's your room?"

The boy sighed in defeat and went to a room that was at the end of the hall. "Don't bother me."

"Then you better change! If you're not out here by 5 minutes, I'm coming in there, dressing you myself, and dragging you out here. Got it?" She warned him.

"Whatever..." he muttered under his breath in a grunt.

She smiled from behind him, ear to ear. She waited outside for a while in the kitchen with a snack until she felt almost about 10 minutes passed.

The boy was in his room, fixing up what looked like armor on his elbow. Then he heard a knock on the door. A soft voice followed, calling out his name.

"Kai?" She waited for a few seconds, and when she didn't get a reply, she opened the door slowly and softly, walking in and finding him putting on that armor of his. "You done? They're waiting." She said to him.

He groaned and walked out to the front door. "Why do you want to bother me so bad?" 

"Because! I figured you could use some lightening up! Besides, I did apologize for calling you an egotistical bastard yesterday, didn't I?" 

He didn't reply back, and watched as she walked up to open the door. "Come on!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him out the door. He watched her back, wide-eyed, as she suddenly pulled him by his hand, his free hand shutting the door to the apartment in the process. She dragged him down the halls to the elevators. 

~

***************************

It was only you and me... 

We were young and wild and free

***************************

You could hear the crowd cheering and howling, some whistling. It was finally the day of the Beyblade Championships, and they had all made it thru together to get here. It was the final session, and a boy and girl were up against each other. The boy looked on coldly, his chocolate eyes on the girl before him. He watched her put up her beyblade and launcher, ready to begin, and he did the same. 

"Arika..." The boy called across the dish that had been put up in between them.

"Hm?" She looked up at him.

"Whoever wins...." He trailed off.

She got the message from him, and nodded as a response. 

Suddenly a referee jumped up and started a countdown. "Three, Two, One... LET IT RIIIIIIIIIIPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!" 

The two opponents let their beyblades out of their launchers in an instant. They both wanted to win, but they both feared what the consequences would be. Arika, the girl, looked up at him, determination in her eyes. She found him staring back at her, the same look in his eyes. Her blade, Lysia, spun in the middle, and the boy's blade came in for an attack at his command. She dodged his attacks, and soon it turned into a cat-and-mouse game. The girl's blade spun forward as it kept running from his blade, and his was hot on her tails. He then disappeared for a moment as his blade jumped out of nowhere into the air and above her blade.

"Dranzer, go!" He called out.

"No! Lysia, watch out!" She watched at his blade, Dranzer, came down upon hers, spinning sideways. Lysia, her blade, jumped and dodged out of the way as Dranzer came crashing down on the steel dish, causing it to crack. The crowd cheered on and went crazy as the battle intensified.

~

*********************************

Now nothing can take you away from me

*********************************

The crowd went wild as the smoke in the stadium cleared, and it revealed a blue beyblade flying out of the dish and straight to Arika's hand. She caught it and smirked at a shocked Kai. She smiled even wider when she saw that he was staring at her beyblade, still spinning like nothing had ever happened in the center of a wrecked dish.

  
  


She had won.

She was the Champion.

She had actually beaten him.

*****************************

We've been down that road before

But that's over now....

You keep me coming back for more...

*****************************

He snapped back to reality as she called out to Lysia, her blade. "Lysia, back!" Her blade spun in a circle and threw itself at her, and she caught it with her free hand. She walked up to Kai, and he did the same. They met in the middle of the staduim, and everyone looked on, some with fear of what would happen next, and some with anticipation. 

She smiled at him and handed him his blade. He took it gently from her hand and placed it in its launcher. She then held out her hand that had been holding his blade, as if wanting to give him a semi-hug with one hand. He smiled back and did the same with, and they gave a high-five hand shake, and held on to each other's hand. 

"Great battle." she told him. 

"Yeah... Great battle." He agreed. "But... I was hoping I'd win."

"I know...." She paused for a while. "Are you guys planning to leave now?" She finally asked.

"I don't know. We're supposed to be heading home from here."

"Oh..." she said softly, looking down. Then she looked back up at him, and noticed his team and her's were making their way toward them. "Well... how 'bout you guys come with us back to Virginia? I mean... stay there for a while. Just take a break and relax without the training… for once…" She smiled. "What do you say?"

"Well… I'll have to check with the manager…"

~~~~~*****~~~~~

******************************

Baby you're all that I want...

When you're lying here in my arms...

******************************

Kai was lying down in his bed facing the ceiling. He sighed. He missed those days. Those days were truly the best. He sighed again. Why couldn't he go back to sleep? 

He looked down at the sleeping beauty in his arms. He smiled wistfully. She was a tenshi when she was asleep. He looked at the clock next to the bed. 2:00 AM. He sighed yet again. For some reason, something wouldn't let him sleep. 'Oh well.' he thought. 'Tomorrow's a free day.' He smiled at the thought. He had nothing to do tomorrow. He smiled even wider when he took one last look at her, her head resting on his chest, sleeping peacefully. 'Lucky,' he thought. 

He looked back up at the ceiling.

*************************

I'm finding it hard to believe...

We're in Heaven

*************************

She had always been there for him, and she could see right thru him. He had been so cold back then. She had the right to call him an egotistical bastard when she first met him. But she had apologized the next day. He never really knew why, tho. But that's when everything changed for them. She never gave up trying to get to him. She wanted to be the first one into his heart. And she succeeded.

~~~~~*****~~~~~

It was about two days before they were going to North Carolina for the American Beyblading Championships. They were at a kind of a public party, the press was there to interview them, and different companies had shown up to sponsor them, but they refused to all. They answered a few questions from the press, but that was long over. The Bladebreakers were walking along, and so were the girls. Then the girls had spotted the guys, and they were headed toward each other. They talked for a while, while he watched her carefully. She saw him standing off to the side, crossing his arms and just watching. Why did he always have to be so cold and quiet? She looked up at the sky and found that it was a dark shade of a milky blue color. She checked her watch for the time. 6:00 PM. The sun would set at about 8, and it would take a while if they were going to walk to where she wanted to go. 

'Hm... I have an idea...' she thought. She looked at him and walked off secretly from behind the boys. He watched her with suspicion. 

'What's she doing?? And where does she think she's going?' He saw her motion for him to come along with a mischievous look on her face. His curiosity finally got the best of him and he stacked off behind her. They both walked thru the crowd of people, and then when he got thru, he spotted her in a grass opening.

"What do you want?" he said to her harshly, walking up to her.

"I wanna show you something," she said with a smile.

He raised an eyebrow at her, and she walked off, motioning once again for him to follow. They walked a long way up a high hill. When they got to the top, she checked her watch and sat down at the very top of the grass hill. 

"What?" He said to her, coming up behind her.

"It's 7:20," she told him.

"So?" 

"Sit," she said patting the grass beside her. 

He sat down and looked at her as if expecting an answer, for her to speak up. 

Finally, after a long pause, she spoke. 

"I try to come up here whenever I can right before sunset. No body knows of this place but me, I never tell anyone where I go." she started. She paused again.

"Then why did you bring me up here?" He never turned away from her.

She turned to look at him. "For you to see what I did. Watch the sun set behind the horizon, believe me, it's worth it."

"Like I've never seen a sun set before..." he said sarcastically.

"Not like this you haven't." 

He looked at her with wide, curious eyes. 

She giggled out how childish he looked, causing his expression to harden once again. She looked back at him with a sweet smile. "It's the Phoenix." she told him. "She comes out." She turned to the sun with a wistful look on her face, and her eyes glazed over. "I saw her, in the sun. The last time I came up here, she came out. Up here is the only way to see her. She was gorgeous. Her wings spread and her beak in the air as if she was singing to the wind, to the universe. I found her while I was looking for a good place to train. She's amazing..."

"Why did you decide to bring me here of all people?" 

"Because. I know of your bit beast. I have the same type. And, well, I never had as much faith in my bit as much as I did after I saw... her." she paused, seeming to be in thought. "I wanted you to see her for yourself, I guess I just wanted to see if it would affect you the same way it affected me." She looked down at him. "Watch it. Because not only that, but around the orange sun are an amazing mix of colors I've never seen in my life. It's an undescribable color. There's one color that I couldn't tell whether it was blue, purple, pink, red, or what! It even looked almost white. It was gorgeous. Just like she is. The Phoenix. Just in the center of the setting sun," she said turning to the sun, which was now descending into the horizon. 

He looked up to see what she wanted him to see, his curiosity finally at its peak. A few minutes later, what seemed to take an eternity to him, he thought he had seen something. Just in the center of the setting sun...

******************

Love is all that I need

******************

"There it is!" She got closer to him so that she could point down at the Phoenix so he could see the exact spot. 

He looked closely, and sure enough... it was there. SHE was there. 

He stared at the fiery bird in awe. 'So... she's not just a legend... and she's not just a regular bit beast either. She's..... Real...'

She smiled at the look on his face. 'He should let out his feelings more often. He looks so adorable...' 

"See? I told you. There's a story after this you know. I found it in an old, ancient book. It was from an old legend, about a Phoenix. She came down looking for the right place for her soul to live on forever. She kept looking, and finally she settled in the sun, and she stayed there. Her fire had fueled it. And her fire blazed from the power the sun had given her. She looked down upon all the humans here on earth, searching for the ones with the right mind and soul to care for her babies, and carry on the legend of the Phoenix. I don't know if there are any others, but two of those people who carry the legend of the Phoenix is us. You, Dranzer, the Red Phoenix, and me, Lysia, the Fire Phoenix."

He looked at her in awe. 'How does she know so much?' She was truly amazing. He couldn't take her eyes off of her, and he just stared at her, eyes a bit wide. She looked at him back thoughtfully, and for the first time in his life... he felt like somebody could actually understand him, and see thru the steel wall that he had put up as a mask. For the first time since he could remember, he felt like somebody actually... cared...

They didn't feel it coming, but they had both gotten extremely close, and their faces were alarmingly close, each could feel the other's breath intertwine with their own...

***************************

And I found it there in your heart

***************************

Before they could both register what happened, the distance between them had ceased to exist, and each felt the lips of the other brush against their own, and they fell into a passionate kiss...

******************

It isn't too hard to see

******************

They broke apart and stared at each other, surprised at what just happened. Arika turned around and quickly but gently pushed herself up from the ground. 

"We'd better go. We've been here too long, and their bound to get suspicious and worried about us." She held out her hand for him to take. He grabbed her hand and she pulled him up. 

"Yea.. Let's go." He said, never taking his eyes away from the ground.

~~~~~******~~~~~

That was the exact moment that his life became more and more confusing than it had ever been, all because of her. He didn't know if that was what he really wanted. They were two worlds apart, and they couldn't exactly see and talk to each other in the quickest of ease. 

The girl in his arms stirred in her sleep, and he tightened his grip on her. She was truly something. No one could've gotten to him like she did. She broke thru, and with extreme ease. She surprised even him with what she could do to him. He never thought... that another person would have the power to take over him, to take over his thoughts, and take over his heart. But he found out the truth after the Championships, and Mr. Dickinson approved of them staying in Virginia, although back then he would have never admitted it.

~~~~~*****~~~~~

She was sitting beside him in front a beautiful lake in a clearing. There were flowers that grew all around the sparkling body of water in the center, and trees around the clearing itself hid its beauty from the world. But once again, she had found a place that she secretly came to, and brought him along.

"Why did you want to show me this place? You seem to choose me out of everyone else to show these things to. Why?" he had asked her.

"I don't know, really. I guess... I mean... I feel like I can trust you, that's all. Like I can tell you everything and show you anything. Like I can confide in you and get everything off my shoulders just by being with you, you know? I don't know why, but I just do. I never showed even my closest of friends this place, but for some reason I feel like you're the only person that'll really ever understand the beauty and meaning of a place as peaceful as this." She said extremely softly, making it almost a whisper. 

"Hn..." he turned and kept his eyes on the water. 

She moved closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder, surprising him. But soon he got over the shock, and slid an arm around her back and rested his hand on her waist. She snuggled closer to him, putting her hand up just above the left side of his chest so that her hand was resting just under her head. He slid his other had around her and linked the fingers of both his hands together so that he had made a cage around her from his hands, and tightened his grip on her, pressing her body to the side of his. 

She closed her eyes and sighed a satisfied sigh, smiling. He looked down at her and smiled.

He was sure at that exact moment of what he felt for her. But he would never admit it. And he knew she would never, at least not in front of anybody. But he knew real well what was happening, and he knew she knew. And even though they would never word it, the Gods were watching down on them, monitoring their every move.

The couple would never have admitted it to anyone, but the Gods knew well...

  
  


They were in love....

********************

We're in Heaven...

********************

~~~~~*****~~~~~

He smiled at the memory. It felt so new to him back then. He had never in his life had someone so close to him, whether it was emotionally or physically. He had never felt like that in his life. But he remembered the feeling that he felt aside from that. The feeling of completeness. The feeling that he had filled that whole in him. That he had found something to bring back a part of him that had been missing for so long... And he had liked it. No... he had loved it. The feeling was so new, and it was relaxing, like a ton of weight that had been lifted off your shoulders. And she was still with him now, sleeping peacefully in his arms.

*******************************

Oh, once in your life you find someone

Who will turn your world around...

Pick you up when you're feeling down

*******************************

He remembered how she had convinced him to give in to his teammates. To allow them to see... What had caused him to accept? He wasn't really sure at first, but a closer look in her eyes had told him. It was love. Their love. The love that they shared, that had grew so quickly between them, in each of their hearts....

~~~~~*****~~~~~

"I can't stand them! They don't know me! So why do they even bother to assume things?! Why do I even bother hanging around them, anyway?" he yelled in frustration. He picked up a rock and threw it into a creek that he had found on a trail when he ran off from everyone else.

"You can't stand them... They don't know you.... So why do they BOTHER? You know, Kai, if you would open your mind up a bit you would understand that they only wanted the best for you as friends, not just allies, or just ordinary teammates."

"Whatever. They're not my friends. They're pathetic and weak kids that I chose as my teammates. The only one I'll even come close to respecting would have to be Ray. And even he can get annoying sometimes." He growled in anger as he threw another rock into the water.

"Kai..." she sighed. "You can't just ditch them. You guys have been thru too much. You've gotten this far, don't let it fall apart now. They wanna get closer to you, Kai, you just won't let them." 

"And I never exactly invited you into my heart, but you managed to defy me anyway. You found a way thru to me, and only after a five-second, unfriendly encounter in a store. At least you understood me. They don't know a damn thing about me." 

"The only difference between me and them is that I was able to see right thru you and your outer shell. But they're not as quick as me in understanding things that aren't really what they show off to be. I mean, take Tyson for instance. He's childish, sure, and can be annoying at times. I agree with you on that. But you can't blame him. He's just a bit ignorant...Naive. He only bothers you with their activities because he's trying to get you to open up. He doesn't mean to annoy you. And same with Max. He's always trying to get you to join the others so that you all can become more of a team. They only want what's best for the team, and they only wanna be there for you as friends, Kai. You just won't let them do that. You just keep pushing everyone away!"

He stared at her, taking in her words. Was she beginning to get angry? Or was that just him?

"Besides," she continued, "Max and Tyson can become great friends. And same goes for Kenny. He's definitely one that's sure to stick with you til the end. Ray's another. He may be a bit mysterious, but he sure knows how to be a good teammate, and if I didn't know better, I'd say he was just as good a friend as he is a teammate. You just need to let them in, that's all."

Her voice softened at the end and she looked at him, her eyes a mixture of different emotions. What could he say? I mean... she could be right.

"Just give it a try, Kai. If it doesn't work, then you can go back to being your cold self, okay? And I won't bother you about it again, and I'll make sure they don't either. Deal?"

He looked at her for a while, still in thought. Then finally he made his decision. 

Nodding, he looked at her. "Fine." he said to her. "You got a deal."

**************************

Now, nothing can change what you mean to me

**************************

She smiled at him and took his hand in her's. "Come on." she said. "Let's go back." 

He nodded to her again and they made their way back to the house they were staying in. 

~~~~~*****~~~~~~

He laughed softly at that memory. He had been so short tempered. He remembered that real well. It was how he found out the true meaning of friendship. Of having friends. And of being a friend in return. Ever since then, the team had become closer, and they truly were a tight team of friends.

~~~~~*****~~~~~

"Come on, Tyson, keep going! You've got to drive your blade to it's limit along with driving yourself to your very own limit. You have to work as one with your bitbeast, both of you with the same mind, got it?" Kai and Tyson were up on a hill, training with their own metal dish, that looked more like a bowl to everyone who was oblivious to the game. But they didn't need to worry about passer byers. They were up there alone.

Tyson strained under the pressure, trying to stay in control while pushing the blade higher and higher to it's ultimate power, to the peak of its limit. He had to admit, it was hard. He never knew that Kai went thru all of that strain and pressure just to be the greatest beyblader of the world. He'd never felt so exhausted and thirsty. 

"Keep pushing. You're letting your mind wander." Kai snapped him out of his thoughts, reminding him he was still there to push him.

"Kai, I can't. That's it. Can't we just continue tomorrow?" Tyson pleaded.

Kai looked at him with his usual cold expression. "Fine, take a break." With that he walked off down the hill, back to the bottom, and walked the half mile that they came from back to the house. Tyson stood at the top as he watched him go. 

'He's kinda changed... but then at the same time, he hasn't...' Before he went any further to confuse himself, he sighed, turned around, and picked up his Dragoon beyblade and walked down the hill and after Kai.

~ 

Kai sat among everyone and watched them talk and laugh. He watched Arika carefully, and listened as she laughed. He smiled to himself as he saw her laughing with the rest of them. She was beautiful when she laughed, and her laughter could mesmerize him anyday.

***********************

There's a lot that I could say...

***********************

~~~~~*****~~~~~~

Kai looked at the time again. His eyes widened in surprise. It was 2:26 AM. He was so caught up in his thoughts, that it seemed like he had fallen asleep thru them. But it seemed time doesn't pass by too fast like he'd have expected. 

He looked down at her, still in his arms, still sleeping peacefully. Then he watched as she groaned and slowly opened her eyes, shifting a bit in her sleep, and closing her eyes again. He smiled. She had the same problem as him. She was awake and he knew it. He laughed softly, causing her to open her eyes again. 

************************

But just hold me now

'Cuz our love will light the way...

************************

She looked up at him, eyes glazed and half open. She spoke to him, her voice making her sleepiness visible.

"Mm, what are you doing awake?" she asked him with a smile, snuggling closer to him.

"I couldn't sleep." He replied casually with a shrug.

She squirmed out of his grip and moved up a bit so that her face was almost matched up to his, but she still had to look up at him. "How long have you been awake?" she asked.

"For about half an hour now."

"Oh. That's not that long. Go back to sleep..." she said as she slowly drifted off. He watched her quietly as she drifted off back to sleep again. He smiled. She always did look as peaceful as an angel in her sleep. He remembered the first time he saw her sleeping. He could never take his eyes off of her...

~~~~~*****~~~~~

****************************

Baby you're all that I want

When you're lying here in my arms

****************************

Kai couldn't sleep for some reason, and he was restless and tired of staying in bed. He couldn't go out and train, tho. It was too late in the night and it was storming dangerously hard outside. He heard a creaking sound from outside of his room, possibly from the kitchen or the living room or something. He, being as curios as he was, got up to check it out. When he stepped out of his room, he noticed the door to Arika's room slightly jarred open. He decided to check on her real quick, and made his way to her room. He slowly opened the door enough for himself to squeeze thru, since the door squeaked a bit and he wanted to be careful not to wake her up. He walked in and stopped abruptly as the floor beneath his feet made another creaking sound, causing her to shift in her sleep. He hurriedly turned around to leave before he woke her up, but stopped once again in his tracks when he heard her.

"Kai...." She whispered almost inaudibly. 

Luckily, he heard her and turned around. "Yea?" he said softly.

"Don't go..." She trailed. 

He looked extremely surprised, but she couldn't see it. Luckily for him, it was dark, so he wasn't that visible. He looked only like a barely visible silhouette in the night. 

He walked over to her, and she motioned for him to sit down as she moved over to allow him some space.

***************************

I'm finding it hard to believe...

We're in Heaven...

***************************

He looked at the empty spot next to her, and took the offer and sat beside her. He looked at her for a moment.

"Can't sleep?" she asked him.

"Yea, how'd you guess?" he asked a bit sarcastically. 

"Ha, ha." she looked up at him. "I can't sleep either. I'm not exactly a storm loving type of person, if you know what I mean.."

**************************

Love is all that I need

And I found it there in your heart..

***************************

He nodded. Then he heard that creaking noise outside again, and so did she. They both snapped their heads toward the door, one with fear and the other with suspicion. 

"I'm going to see what's going on, stay here." Kai said to her.

"No!" she yelled in a whisper. "Don't leave me..."

"You're not scared, are you?"

"Well... yea, I kinda am...."

He smiled down at her. "Fine, then." he chuckled. "I'll stay... But only because you're afraid." 

She smiled at him. "Thanks..." She whispered.

A few minutes went by, and they both stayed silent. Kai looked down at her, and called her name softly. She gave a groan but didn't answer back. 'She must be asleep...' he thought. He took a closer look at her sleeping form and his breath caught in his throat. 'She's a Tenshi...' he thought. He smiled one more smile at her and walked out. 'Good night, Ari.' he thought to himself, and went out to the kitchen for a snack...

***********************

It isn't too hard to see...

We're in Heaven....

***********************

~~~~~*****~~~~~

He smiled at all the thoughts once more as his eyelids felt heavier and heavier by the second. He was getting tired. It was 3:00 now, he noticed, as he glanced at the clock beside the bed. He sighed an exasperated sigh as he closed his eyes. 'I seriously need sleep. I envy you, Arika...' he thought, opening one eye and looking at her peaceful expression. 'Oh, well...' He smiled for a second, remembering how they each looked like when they were little and how they had changed since then. He missed those fun days. When everyone was together, and both teams were so close, it seemed nothing could tear them apart. They were matched in everything they did. It was perfect. He missed them... all. Even the girls. He had to admit....

  
  


Those were the days.......

  
  


************************

We're in Heaven.....

************************

______________________________________________________________________________

*AnimePrincess: Well! There you go! That's it! ^_^ Should I continue onto some1 else, or not?

*Ray: O.O Please.. Don't!

*Kai: Hey! How come I get everything centered around me?

*Max: Cuz! Um... You're... Special??

*Tyson: Yea, that's it!

*Kai: Hn. That's a pathetic excuse.

*AnimePrincess: Oh, stop being a bitch, Kai. 

*Kai: Hey! Who said you could call me that?!

*Tyson, Kenny, Max, Ray: ^-^;;

*Kenny: Come on, guys.. No need to get violent...

*Tyson: Hush, Kenny! Fight, fight, fight!

*Max: *laugh* ^-^;;

*Ray: o.O;

*AnimePrincess: um... I think I should go now. Review People! ^_^

  
  


~*AnimePrincess*~

~Arika Morance~


	2. I Can't Help Myself

I Can't Help Myself

**************************

Hey pplz, omg I can't believe I actually have another chapter up! Well, I know I got mostly requests for Ray and everything, but he's a bit harder. You see, this one is mostly circled around my other fic 'Someone To Turn To', but I want to add Mariah in. That's why it's gonna be harder for me to put Ray's part up. So... yea. But here's another one, I'm not going to tell you who it's for though! ^_^ hehe.

*************************************************************************

I don't own Beyblade or the song that I'm using for this Chapter. The song I'm using is called 'I Can't Help Myself' and it is sung by Nobody's Angel. So, with no further ado... I give you the next chapter: I Can't Help Myself^_^

**Background Info for Chapter**

The one before this, centered on Kai, is in the future, the age is left out for the readers to use their own imagination to decide. But this takes place in the present, the time of my story. ok? Cool... Now that that's cleared up. Here ya go!

__________________________________________________________________  
  


*******************************

You smile a lot,

It makes me wonder what 

you're thinking of 'cause

*******************************

From some distance, you could hear laughter, giggles of young girls, possibly in their years of adolescence, mixed with the loud laughter of boys their age. Moving in closer, you could see that there were 9 people, a total of five girls with four boys. If you walked even closer, you could even hear their words, and what the laughter they were absorbed in was all about.

They kids were on top of the empire state building, in New York City, in the USA. You see a girl with shoulder length, jet black hair standing with a younger girl with pink hair, reaching just under her shoulders. Next to her was a young boy about her height with messy brown hair, hiding his eyes, with looking glasses perched on his head. The pink haired girl laughed while looking at a black laptop that the boy carried. 

"Don't worry, Dizzi, I won't drop you!" The boy called.

"You'd better not! I don't know where I'd go afterwards, but I sure wouldn't be coming back to you, Chief!" A voice replied. It seemed to be coming from the laptop, where the boy was directing his comments to.

The girl next to him with pink hair laughed at her comment. "Your Dizzi has some mouth, Kenny!" She told the boy.

"That'd better be a compliment!" Dizzi, the voice from the computer, retorted.

"Don't worry, Dizzi," the girl laughed. "I'd never dis you!"

"Good! Compliments and flattery WILL get you everywhere." The laptop replied, causing the young girl to laugh again.

"Hey guys! Having fun?" a blond girl walked up, with a boy beside her. 

"I bet they are! This place is so cool! But guess what? Apparently, Tia here's afraid of heights!" He teased pointing to the blond girl next to him, laughing.

"So what? That's not a bad thing! I'll have you know many strong and so-called fearless men are also afraid of heights! And you keep that cocky smirk on your face up and soon I'll make you one of them! And then you can join the club, wouldn't you just LOVE that, hm Tyson?" She retorted to the boy, hands on her hips, facing him.

"Huh? Yeah right! I'd like to see what you could do!" He said challengingly.

"Heh." The girl with jet black hair had finally decided to speak up as she walked forward. "I'd take that back if I were you, Tyson. This girl's crazy, and if you don't you'll regret it." She motioned to the blond girl, Tia, while saying that.

"Hey! I KNOW that was a compliment you were sending my way!" Tia called to her.

The black haired girl stuck her tongue out at her and laughed. "What if I said it wasn't, hm?" She said teasingly.

"What are you people fighting about? Tyson, do you always have to start things?" A boy with Chinese clothing walked up, a headband tied around his forehead with a ying yang in the middle, his hair wildly messy up front and tied back in a long, thin ponytail, walked up behind Tyson and Tia. 

Tyson whirled around to look at him. "Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Tyson whined.

"You know what he means, Tyson." Dizzi's voice rang out. 

"Hey, you're just a computer, what would you know?" He told her off.

"Hey! Watch what you say to me, I may be stuck in a computer, but if I wasn't you'd really regret that. See if I ever help you again!" Dizzi yelled back.

"Calm down, Dizzi, I'm sure he was just messing around..." Kenny tried to calm the laptop down.

"Hmph! A bit beast has feelings too ya know!" 

The group began to laugh as Dizzi, the trapped bit beast, began to scold Tyson and Kenny while whining at the same time. Tyson looked at Dizzi and Kenny with a cocky smirk and turned to walk away, both hands behind his back in relaxation. Tia looked after him and ran to catch up. 

"Where ya goin?" she asked him.

"Eh, chill out a bit." he replied. 

"Mind if I chill with you?" 

"Why not? Feel free!" He smiled.

'How is he always so happy?'

********************************

Baby you're always on my mind

********************************

~

"I bet I can beat you!" Tyson had yelled to Tia across a table. At the moment they were in McDonald's, and Tyson and Tia were fighting over who could eat faster.

"Fine then! I'll take that as a challenge!" She called back.

Everyone watched them with sweat drops. 

"Oh man, not another Tyson..." The boy with the ponytail and headband had said.

"Oh man... not another Tia!" A girl with dark green hair said after him.

They both looked at each other sheepishly as the girl giggled and the boy smiled and laughed along with her. 

"I'm.... Gonna... Beat... You!" Tyson tried saying. He didn't succeed much considering the fact that he was REALLY stuffing his face.

"No... You... Won't!" Tia was pretty much in the same predicament.

The group watched them, some rolling their eyes, some just sighing, and some had a giant sweatdrop at the back of their heads. 

'Oh God... How did I EVER get to know those two??' the black haired girl thought to herself. She stared at them with disbelief and wonder. 'I guess some things just never change....'

~

"Come on, Tyson! You'll like it! No, you'll LOVE IT!" Tia was standing in front of a giant, twisted roller coaster, convincing Tyson to go on. "Please! Don't tell me you're scared!"

"ME?! SCARED?! No way! Let's go!" With that, Tyson grabbed her hand with a determined look and pulled her up to the ticket booth. She smiled behind him and let him lead her.

************************

And right now 

I want you with me

Here by my side

************************

"Two tickets please, next ride!" Tyson told the man in the booth.

"Sure thing!" He said cheerfully. "That'll be Three bucks." 

Tyson dug in his pockets and after searching for a while, he finally gave up and turned to Tia with a sheepish look on his face.

Tia giggled at him and handed the man a five dollar bill. He handed her two dollars back and with them two tickets to the roller coaster.

"Thanks, babes!" She called to him, and walked away with Tyson in tow.

"Babes?" Tyson said to her.

"Yup! Well... I could have said cutie... after all, he is one hot babe!" She smiled and giggled loudly. Tyson looked at her with a strange look on his face. 

'She's one weird girl...'

****************************

With me till the end of time

****************************

~

After some of the gang had gone on the roller coaster several times over, they had finally decided it was time to go home. It was beginning to get dark, and the gang was seriously exhausted.

"That was AWESOME!" Tyson called out, jumping up and pumping his fist in the air.

"Told ya' you'd like it!" Tia laughed out at him.

"Yeah, definitely!" He replied happily, laughing back.

He had to admit, this day was a day never to be forgotten. He enjoyed it big time. They had taken a walk, all the way down to the empire state building just for fun, and he and Tia had whined about it big time, Rina, the pink haired girl, joining in eventually. After all, it was a pretty long walk. Then after spending about ten minutes on the highest floor, they got hungry, or actually Tyson did mostly, and they called a cab, or two, to the nearest McDonald's. When they were done eating and Tyson and Tia had given up on the 'world's fastest eater' competition they were having, they had gone to an amusement park. Now they were on their way home, exhausted and tired, everyone but Kenny and Kimi had huge cotton candy on a cone with them. Kenny had ice cream and held Dizzi in his hand, while Kimi hugged a huge blue teddy bear with a lollipop larger than her fist. She looked like a child, at least to Tyson she did. He'd never admit it to anyone, especially Tia, that when he looked up at that roller coaster the first time, he was a bit hesitant. Actually, more like shit scared. But the second she had called him scared, he took it as a challenge to go. And he loved it, thanks to her mostly. 

'I don't think I would have ever gone on that ride if it wasn't for her!' he thought to himself. He looked up when he saw his closest buddy, Max, laugh from beside him.

"I'd like to see you try." The boy with unruly, long black hair spoke up, crossing his arms with a mischievous smirk on his face. 

"Fine. Then just don't wake up!" Tia told him. Tyson would have definitely taken that as a challenge, if he knew what they were talking about exactly. Come to think of it, Tia makes too many challenges....

"Well, I think you can leave that up to Tyson!" Max spoke up laughing and pointing his thumb towards Tyson. 

Tyson looked up suddenly, hearing this. "Hey! I resent that!" He yelled out in defense. 

Everyone looked at him and broke down in laughter. 

"Hey, I don't see why you're laughing, Tia! This morning I had to wake you up with the old whipped cream and feather trick!" The girl with dark green hair yelled up at the blond.

Tia stopped laughing and looked up. "Hey! Don't think I forgot about that! Come to think of it...." Her facial expression turned into a cocky, confident smirk and a dangerous glint in her squinty eyes. "PAYBACK TIME!!" She screamed as she raced after her. The green haired girl gasped and yelped as she hightailed it out of there like a bullet, Tia hot on her tracks. The rest of the group laughed as they ran to catch up with the girls, but before Tyson did, one thought just crossed his mind.

'You know... Tia's pretty cute when she's like that. Heh, I would have LOVED to see her wake up to a face full of whipped cream...' and with that last thought, he raced after them.

****************************

I just can't help myself

I'm fallin' in love with you

****************************

~

Tyson stood out in the balcony of their apartment on the third floor. He looked down, the light breeze catching his hair, waving it around behind him. Tyson was in his pajamas, his hair flowing freely with no cap to hold it down. It was night time, around eleven maybe, almost midnight. The stars were shining brightly, and the world around him was silent, only the wind could be slightly felt filling your ears. He sighed lightly, thinking about the day he'd had. His mind kept going through every event that took place that day, and the fun he had competing with Tia. 

'Tia....' His mind wondered off to her. Man, was she crazy or what? Fun, definitely! But crazy, nonetheless. But that's what made her such a great person, or to him at least. She wasn't afraid to do what she loved, just like him. And she was a confident competitor, too, just like he was. And she was full of surprises, again, just like he was. She was so like him in every way, just in more of a girly way. "Hmph..." he smiled. "Tia, you're such a maniac..." He laughed. 'Crazy, crazy, crazy....' he kept repeating. 

"Hey, Tyson, what are you still doing awake?" Ray walked in, taking in the cool breeze that swept past him, breaking through his thoughts and the silence that had once been surrounding him.

"Huh?" Tyson looked back and found the Chinese boy, Ray, standing there in the doorway to the balcony, concern and curiosity written on his face. "Oh, I'm just chillin for a while. I'm going to sleep soon though, I just wanted some air. What are you doing out here?"

"I guess the same thing as you." The Chinese boy replied.

"Oh...." Tyson breathed before turning back around and looking at the dark sky.

Ray tilted his head up and stared at the full moon above him.

"So... what do you think?"

"Huh?" Tyson looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"I mean the girls. We're battling them, incase you've forgotten. They're our next opponents. If we beat them, we become the best beyblading team of the world."

"Oh, yeah. I remember...." Tyson replied softly.

"Kenny says they're real tough. And they're a lot like us."

"What's their stats say?" 

"Unbeatable." Ray replied to the younger boy.

"Well, not if we have something to say about it." Tyson said determined.

"I thought you'd say that." Ray replied with a smile.

"We'll win, and we'll be the best. Nothing stands in our way."

"Good. My thoughts exactly. But we still need practice. We don't really know what we're up against, after all. Kenny and Dizzi can only find so much on them. So don't expect them to be easy push overs, got it?"

"Whatever you say, buddy." 

"I'm going to sleep. See ya, Tyson." 

"Right." Tyson nodded his way as a quick good night. And with that, he watched Ray leave and turn into the living room. 

"Well, it's just me and you now, Dragoon." He reached into his pocket and looked at his beyblade, his dragoon chip glistening brightly against the moonlight. "We'll be seeing them again tomorrow, buddy." 'And that means another day with Tia...' he smiled secretly to himself at that thought as he tucked his Dragoon away. But before dragoon vanished into the cloth of his pajama pants, the chip had given a light glow, unnoticed to the young boy...

******************************

It doesn't matter what you say

or what you do

******************************

~

The first thing Tyson remembered when he first woke up the next morning was a blinding light and someone yelling in his ear.

"Yo! TYSON!" Tia watched as Tyson jumped up at the sudden voice of his name being yelled in his ear, all thanks to 'yours truly'. 

"Wha-What! What's going on?!" He yelled out, startled. Tia giggled from his left, and watched him turn to her.

"Well, good job, Tyson. You woke everyone up for us!" Tia giggled again at his sheepish expression.

"Ooh man, what are you guys doing here??"

"Well, we DID warn you that we'd come up here and drag you out ourselves didn't we?" Tyson and Tia looked over to see Kimi dragging an embarrassed looking Max out of his room in his pajamas and pushing him into the bathroom. "Now get ready!" She called after him.

******************************************

Just give me a chance...

And I know I'll make you understand why

******************************************

"We didn't really expect you to do that." Kenny told them.

"We weren't about to let you guys sleep in and stand us up, you know!" Rina told him. 

"Exactly! Now get up Tyson, you need to get ready too!" Tia grabbed his arm and got up, trying to pull him up along with her. 

Tyson gave one short yelp as she pulled on his arm. "Okay, okay! Sheesh, you don't have to rip my arm off ya' know!"

"Eh, sorry..." She smiled with a hand behind her head.

***************************

I just can't help myself 

I'm fallin' in love with you

***************************

Tyson smiled at how innocent she looked. 'Cute...' he thought to himself. 'Wait... did I just..... No way.' He shook his heads to clear his thoughts and walked to the bathroom, knocking on the door. "Max! You still in there?"

"Yeah," came the muffled reply. 

Tyson sighed and walked into the living room and plopped down on the couch, until Max came out, and then walked into the bathroom and occupied it.

Tia watched him walk into the bathroom as Max walked over to where she rested, leaning on the back of the couch that Tyson had been sitting on. 

~

When they were sitting down at a table, waiting on the check for the food. 

Tia then decided to speak up. "Hey, what do you guys say.... that after tomorrow, right before we leave, we have a little party, huh?"

"A party for what?" Tyson asked, directing his attention towards her.

"I don't know... I guess a little celebration as a reminder that even though we're battling each other, we're still friends. And maybe to the fact that we actually made it this far in the tournaments." she inquired.

"I guess we could..." Arika spoke up. "But where? And when?"

"Our place!" Kimi chided.

"From morning till night! All day long!" Max added.

"How 'bout half the day in and half the day out?" Michelle suggested.

"What do you mean?" Rina questioned.

"You know... Like we could go to like... A teen club or something," Kimi suggested as well.

"Yeah, exactly." Michelle agreed.

"A teen club?" Ray queried. 

"I don't know...." Kenny put in.

"I think it'll be fun!" Max concluded.

Tia looked from person to person. 'Wow, they actually agreed to my idea!' She smiled wide as she watched them discuss the matter. She turned to her right as she felt something poke in her side. "Hm?" She saw Tyson staring at her questioningly, and she giggled.

"What about Kai?" Arika spoke.

"Well... I don't know about Kai...." Ray said looking at the BladeBreaker team leader.

"He's not much of a.... fun... guy, you know?" Tyson added in, giving his own two cents.

"I think I can change that....." Arika said, turning to Kai. "Trust me, it'll be fine, won't it KAI?" she gave him a deadly glare and turned back to the others. "See?" She said. "Everything will be juuuuuuuuuuust fine." she smirked.

'That girl is definitely up to something.... poor Kai.... ' Tia thought, mentally chuckling to herself, as a waitress came by and placed the check for the food on the table, and she put her money with the other girls as they all payed for the food together. They all walked out and went on their way to the same amusement park as the day before, each one walking off the food they had just eaten before they entered the rides.

~

*********************************************

Don't know if I

Should tell the world just how I'm feelin' yet,

Cause...

*********************************************

Tia had already taken a shower right after Kimi after they had returned from the exhausting day that they had. She walked out of her room after getting dresses and pulling her hair up in a bun and into the kitchen, where she found Kimi sitting alone and making some coffee. 

"Hey, girl. What's up?" Kimi called to her.

"Huh? Oh, I'm great." Tia replied.

"Ooh, now what's on your mind, huh?" She said in a kind of sing-song voice.

"Nothing, why do you ask?"

"You're quiet, and you ain't concentrating. What's up girl, you know you can tell me!"

"Yeah, right. There's nothing to tell anyway."

"Aw, can't you trust me, bitch?"

"Hell naw, bitch." Tia replied back to her.

"Heh.." Kimi smirked at her. "So, have fun today?"

"Hell yea!" Tia smiled. 

"Hey, guys..." Arika said coming in.

"Hey! Just in time for the coffee!" Kimi grinned.

"Yep.." Tia looked down and paused for a while. She watched as Kimi handed Arika a cup of coffee. "You know.... I wonder how those guys put up with their leader. You know? Kai.." she spoke.

"Oh yea! Damn, he's such a bitch. An even bigger one than you Arika!" Kimi said loudly.

"Haha!" Tia smiled.

"Whatever..." She looked down at her cup of coffee and started twirling it around in her hand. 

"But really though, how do they put up with him?" Tia continued.

"I know what you mean...." Kimi paused for a while and leaned in on the table. After quite a long pause, she decided to speak again. "Man.... What was up with him? I don't see why you even bothered bringing him along, he's such a jackass." Kimi looked at Arika a bit disgustingly and sneered toward her team leader.

"Don't say that...." Arika said, looking down at the cup of coffee in her hands.

"And why NOT? You know I'm right." Kimi retorted.

"She got a point, you know...." Tia joined quietly.

"Why don't you guys just shut up, huh? He's not a jackass, and NO, Kimi does NOT have a point. Just go easy on him, okay? I..." Arika trailed off and Tia watched as her eyes softened tremendously.

'Whoa, what's up with that? I know that's not like her! She doesn't... no, not Arika, no way! Oh man, what's gotten into her. Why's she acting so weird? Well, sorry girl, but you're my friend, and I'm NOT letting this pass. If you think I didn't see that, well you've got another thing coming....'

"You WHAT?" Kimi said teasingly and challengingly, diverting Tia's attention back to the conversation.

"Nothing..." Arika all but whispered.

"Oh come on, you know what you were going to say. What are you hiding from us, Rika?" Tia joined in.

"Nothing! Really... it's just..." she silenced down yet again. 

'What the Hell, Rika?!' Tia thought to herself.

"Juuuuust...." Kimi motioned for her to continue. 

"Never mind, just forget it, okay? It's nothing important," Arika said, getting up and leaving a full cup of coffee behind her. 

"O... kaaaaaaaaaayy..." Kimi looked over at Arika's retreating back, still curious about what was happening. She took another glance back at Arika's cup of coffee and sighed. "So much for the coffee that *I* put my time into."

"Yea..." Tia whispered, too caught up in her own thoughts to acknowledge what Kimi was saying. 'Man, what was that? Kimi, Michelle, and Rina seem to be the only ones that haven't gone totally weird yet. Apart from me that is... ha.'

"What's buggin you? Earth to Tiiiiaaa!" Kimi was staring at Tia as she tried to get her attention. 

"Huh?" Tia looked at her as if she was just pulled from another universe by some stranger that was trying to talk to her, in a completely different language.

"Dude, am I the only one that's sane around here? The team's gone wack!" Kimi said sitting down with her plate of Macaroni and Cheese. 

'Only you, huh? I guess I've gone down with Arika. Oh, man, there's too many questions!'

"So what's up with you and Tyson? You seem to getting along real well. Too well if you ask me...." Kimi said looking up at Tia from the corner of her eyes as she popped a spoonful of Mac' N' Cheese in her mouth.

"What do you mean?" Tia looked at her curiously.

"Okay, I'll get straight to the point. Truthfully, Tia, I think he likes you." 

"WHAT?!" Tia stared at her like she had just grown another head. 'No way! No way, no way, no way!' she kept telling herself. "You're crazy, Kimi! How could you ever think like that?!" She yelled at her friend, refusing to look her in the eye. 

Kimi raised an eyebrow at her. "Is that a blush I see creepin' up on yo face? I'd say so if I didn't know any better...." She trailed off and popped another spoonful in her mouth. 

Tia felt her face getting warmer. "I don't care what you think. You're crazy, and I shouldn't even start with you. God only KNOWS how yo mind works." She rolled her eyes, trying to play it all off as if it was nothing. "I'm going to sleep, bye." She rushed out of the kitchen leaving a blue haired girl smiling at her slyly. 

~

'Oh, man, that girl is CRAZY! How could Tyson ever like me? He's too... I mean, he just doesn't seem like the type. Ah, ew, that girl's dreaming! But what if... no! Quit it Tia, you're letting your thoughts get out of control!' She plopped down on her bed and reached for her cd player on the vanity a little farther down to her left. She lied down as she opened it to see what cd was inside. 'Tyte!" she thought. 'Mix...' she pressed play and heard the first song on her Mix cd boom in her ears as she heard the first words. She started humming the song out loud as the lyrics played in her mind. 'You smile a lot, it makes me wonder what you're thinking of 'cause... baby you're always on my mind.... And right now I want you with me here by my side. With me til the end of tiiiiii-i-ime..... ' her thoughts trailed off as a sudden picture of a happy Tyson filled her mind. 'Tyson....' she thought. "UGH!" she sat up abruptly in her bed and gave a frustrated sigh. "Damn you, Kimi! I hate you!" She whispered harshly. She pressed the button to switch to the next song. The song 'When the Last Time' by Clipse boomed in her ears. 'Hell yeah!' she thought. 'There's no way Tyson will pop up in this song!' She smiled. Wait... why did she keep thinking of him? Why couldn't he leave her mind? She thought about it and took a deep breath, pushing the thought aside after convincing herself it was Kimi's fault and she made her paranoid. 'Top down... Chrome spinnin'! You see da boss grinnin' I'm lovin' these damn women...' she continued to rap in her mind when the next song came on, making her even more away of what she was listening to. "Oh yea.... " She listened as the music continued and sat up in her bed. "Is it worth it? Lemme work it. I put mah bang down, flip it and reverse it. It's your fremme neppa vennette!" 'Haha!' she had a huge smile on her face and kept jumping around in her bed, her eyes closed. She kept up her act until she got tired, and fell back down a lied there for a while. She sighed a happy and exhausted sigh as she heard Az Yet's song 'It's Hard For Me To Say I'm Sorry' and closed her eyes in thought. 

'Oh man, that was fun. I wonder what I looked like doing that, ha! Good thing Tyson wasn't here to see that!' her eyes snapped open. 'UGH TYSON AGAIN! What is WRONG with me?!' She frowned as she thought up his name again. But her expression softened once again as his happy expression floated through her mind once more. 'Ah, Tyson... I guess you can't blame me can ya? Shoot, I don't think Kimi was right about you, but if it was flipped the other way around, she just might be right.... I'd hate to admit it though.... Man, I can't let this get out. I do, I'm doomed. Keep your mouth shut, Tia. You'd better, or you're dead...' she sighed. She turned off her cd player and put it aside as she closed her eyes and allowed her exhaustion to have control, and apparently exhaustion had decided to let sleep take over, and thus Tia fell into a deep night's sleep.....

**********************

I wanna make sure

you feel the same...

**********************

~

The next day was really gonna be good. The girls were going to a press and sponsor party, where they were pretty much going for the media. It was in an open park, especially for the occasion. Tia tagged along with the girls after refusing many companies who offered to be their sponsor. They answered a few questions for the public, and now it was their time. 

She walked along when she heard the familiar loud laugh that made her feel like she had butterflies in her stomach and made her heart rate speed up big time. 'Tyson...' she looked over smiling, knowing she'd be having another good day. 

"Hey, there are the girls!" She heard Max yell, and the two teams were heading toward each other. She looked over to Tyson and smiled, gaining a huge smile back. 

"Hey, Tia!" He called to her.

"Hey, Tyson. What's goin' on?" She asked him playfully.

"Nothin' much. Just thought I'd come see what you guys were up to!" He called back to her.

"Cool. Havin' fun?" 

"Hm.." he shrugged. 

They spent a long while talking, not noticing that Kai and Arika had disappeared. They walked a while and talked, and finally realized after about half an hour that they had vanished, but shrugged it off, the boys realizing that Kai could pretty much take care of himself, and the girls knew what Arika could do. Nobody ever messed with her anyway. 

They spent the next hour or so just chilling and talking, when the other two missing members had finally decided to join them, although the girls, Ray, and Dizzi (yea, that's right... DIZZI! ^_^) had noticed that something didn't seem quite right with the duo. 

It was already getting dark, and the guys were making their way down to the parking lot where a limo was waiting for them. Arika trailed a bit behind, keeping to herself, and Kai was farther behind, just acting the usual. Tia and Tyson were a bit ahead of those two, just talking alone.

"What do you think about the tournament coming up?" Tyson asked her.

"Mm, we're leaving after tomorrow to North Carolina, aren't we?" Tia asked back.

"Yeah. It's us against you. BladeBreakers vs. Skyz Limit."

"Yeah...." she sighed. 'Man, why'd it have to be like that?'

******************************

The more that I think about it

You need to know

******************************

"What's up?" He asked her, concern masking his usually cheerful voice.

"Nothin' really. I'm just thinkin'...." 

"About what?" He kept on.

"The tournament. But it's not really important."

"It is to me..." He said to her, trailing off. 

"Hm?" She looked up surprised. "You really wanna win, huh?"

"Well, yeah, everybody always does. But that's not what I meant...." He said back, quietly.

"I don't get it..." She looked at him with major curiosity, questioning what he was trying to tell her mentally to herself.

"Never mind, it's not important." 

"Tyson..."

******************************

There's no other way, 

no, no

******************************

He looked down, and kept walking, staring at his feet. 'What's up with me? I know what I want to tell her, but then I don't. I've never felt like this.' He scowled at himself. 'Dude! Pull yourself together or you'll throw away the championships!'

"Hey Tia?" He said, his head still bowed.

"Yeah, Tyson?" She asked him.

"Will our battle affect our friendship in any way?"

"Huh?" Her eyes went wide. She totally wasn't expecting that. "Well..." She hesitated. "I-It doesn't... Have t-to...."

"..... Cool. That's good to know," he said with a smile.

She smiled back, seeing that the answer satisfied him. But she just couldn't help but wonder what he really wanted to say, what was really on his mind.

*****************************

I just can't help myself

I'm fallin' in love with you...

*****************************

~

Tia walked up to the dish. 'This is it.' she thought. It was the day of the tournament, and it was going down, here and now. 'Tyson....' she looked at him for a moment with a soft face, and hardened her expression abruptly as she stared at him with determination. She saw him smirk and hold up his newly updated beyblade, Phantom Dragoon. She did the same as they both readied themselves, and the countdown began..

"THREE, TWO, ONE-- LET IT RIIIIIIIIIIIIPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

***************************

I think I'm fallin' in love

I think I'm fallin' in love

***************************

"GO DRAGOON!" Tyson pulled on the rip cord with everything he had. 

"DRAGOONA! GO IN FOR THE KILL!" Tia did the same as she watched her beyblade lock with Tyson's, and the battle had begun...

******************************

I just can't help myself

I'm fallin' in love with you.....

******************************

_______________________________________________________________________

YAY! OMG! I'M DONE! Damn, 13 pages... It took me two full days to finish this son of a bitch! ^_^ And now I'm happy. I hope you guys like it. Please review and tell me what you think, ok?! Kooliez. Well, um, I don't know who I'm putting in after this, but I know it'll be someone good.. I hope ^_^; Well, see ya round!

~*AnimePrincess*~

~*Arika Morance*~


	3. How Could An Angel Break My Heart?

**~How Could An Angel Break My Heart?~**

****************************************************************

Wow…. Okay, it's a third chapter to the story! ^_^ Everyone wanted Rei, right? Well, this isn't much a Rei fic as much as it is Mariah, but close enough anyway.

Tyson: Hey, it's been a while!

AnimePrincess (AP): I'm lazy…. But for a very good reason! I'm busy!

Kai: Sure

AP: I am! I've had three projects a quarter for school and two essays to top it off… for more than one class.

Kai: It's your fault. You need to learn how to manage your own time.

AP: Shut up, I don't need a discipline lesson from you, Kai.

Kai: No, you need a lot more help than I can give you.

Tyson: *snicker*

AP: . You… are… SO mean!

Kai: *smirk*

AP: On with the story… .

*************************************************************************************************************

I don't own Beyblade or Toni Braxton's song, "How Could An Angel Break My Heart?" **Background Info** 

This fic is basically a Christmas story, centered in Japan and it's during Winter Break! ^_^ Yep, so… I guess that's all I can say… Enjoy!

*************************************************************************************************************

*********************

I heard he sang a lullaby…

*********************

     The snow was falling, and it was cold. Very cold. Mariah wrapped the white scarf around her neck tighter and sank deep into her puffy, pink winter jacket. She looked up as a blue airport bus pulled up next to her and the rest of the airplane's passengers. She winced as another cold gust of wind pricked at her face, and at the feeling of a hand gently pushing on her back, she rushed into the open doors of the bus. The bus, once full, began moving, and she stared out of the window of the seat she had chosen.

        After the American Beyblade Tournament had finished, Rei and his team had finally come back to Japan and parted, each of the boys going their own separate ways for the school year. It was close to Christmas, and Mariah wanted to spend her Christmas with Rei. They had always spent it together before he had left, so why should that change just because of his decision to stay in Japan? If she had to come all the way to Japan just to spend Christmas with him, she would. Of course, he didn't know she was coming, but that was the fun part. She would surprise him, and he would be happy that she had come to visit him, and they'd spend a wonderfully happy Christmas together. She smiled at the thought.

    Suddenly the bus had stopped, and she was jerked out of her thoughts. She looked at the seat beside her. Lee was bent over in his seat, gathering his things. She watched him for a few more seconds before deciding to do the same. She picked up her backpack and followed him out the door of the bus and into the airport, where they gathered their luggage: two simple, medium sized duffle bags, and grabbed a car to put it in. Lee pushed the car forward as she dropped her backpack on top, and soon they were out the main doors of the airport and Lee called up a taxi. The ride to Rei's place took way too long for her liking. She was so anxious to see him, she'd swear that if she waited any longer it would kill her.

   The second the driver stopped the car, she shot open the door and rushed out. Lee looked up as he paid the driver, startled, and noticed that she had even forgotten to close the car door behind her. He looked her way, and his sight landed on the apartment building that Rei was supposedly staying in. It looked to be at least 15 stories high, maybe more. He hoped that Rei didn't live somewhere up in the teen numbers.

   Mariah stared at the doors in awe. This was where Rei was… just beyond these glass doors, she would see him. Her heart pounded rapidly against her chest. She took a step forward slowly and unconsciously wrapped her scarf even tighter around her neck as she slowly neared the doors. She pushed one of the glass doors open as Lee came up behind her with the bags.

   The double doors closed as he somehow managed to get the two backpacks and duffle bags inside with one go. He looked up.

"Well… We're here."

**************************

I heard he sang it from his heart…

**************************

     Mariah let out a breath that she hadn't even known she was holding.

~*~

     Rei watched as the snowflakes fell to the ground, 8 stories below him. They were beautiful. He couldn't believe that Christmas was just around the corner. Well, almost anyway.

     He sighed, and shivered slightly. It was beginning to get too cold for him without a heavy jacket. He stepped out of his balcony and onto the warm carpet inside his apartment. He couldn't wait until Christmas Eve. That afternoon, he was supposed to go to the airport. Michelle had called him, told him she would be coming for a visit. They decided on Christmas. Now the only problem he had was figuring out what to get her.

He suddenly began thinking about his friends in Hong Kong. He wondered what they would be doing at this time.

_     'Probably setting up a huge Christmas tree and all the usual stuff… and probably wishing I was there…'_

********************************

When I found out, thought I would die…

********************************

     He sighed. He really did miss those guys, but the BladeBreakers were his family now.

*************************

Because that lullaby was mine…

*************************

     He walked into the kitchen and pulled out a mug. He figured he could relax with the T.V. and have some hot chocolate. Nothing else to do today. Tomorrow he would go out and browse for some gifts. No use sitting around doing nothing when he had a present to look for.

     The cup was half empty when his doorbell rang. Turning, he looked at the door, puzzled. Who would be knocking on his door? Maybe the guys had come to visit him, or maybe Michelle was early and didn't tell him. Maybe… he shook his head. He could sit there and come up with a lot of ideas, but it wouldn't matter if he didn't open the door. So he got up, put his cup on the table in front of him, and walked to the door. Pausing before he opened the door, he lifted his head a bit to stare out of the peephole. Strange… it was black. He frowned and tensed. Reaching in to his pocket, he wrapped his hand around his Drigger. Slowly, he unlocked the door and turned the knob.

     He froze.

     And stared.

    "M… Mariah…?"

    "Hey Rei! Merry Christmas!" She smiled.

    "Wha-… What are you…?"

    "What?" Lee piped up sarcastically. "Aren't we welcome?"

    "L-Lee… You guys… What are you doing here? Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

    "Can we at least come in?" Mariah said to him.

    "Huh? Oh, yea, come on…" He stepped aside as he watched them carry in their bags. Seeing Mariah trying to pull in her duffle bag, he reached forward and took it from her and picked it up. She looked up at him and smiled gratefully. He smiled back and put the bag next to his couch.

    "So… You guys… You're staying with me… right?" He asked them.

    "That's the idea." Lee told him.

     He smiled. "Great."

    "Hot chocolate… with marshmallows." Lee mused, holding the half empty mug in his had, stirring the brown liquid around softly.

    "Would you like some?"

    "That'd be great!" Mariah smiled.

*************************

I heard he sealed it with a kiss…

*************************

     He came out of the kitchen about five minutes later with two cups of hot chocolate, complete with marshmallows. He set them down on the table and sat down on a comforter next to the couch, near the side that Lee had taken, to the television's right. When he grabbed his cup and took a sip, he realized it was still slightly warm. Smiling slightly, he took another sip and looked up at his two friends.

     Mariah was the first to break their silence.

    "We missed you Rei…"

~*~

      It was beautiful. Gorgeous white sprinkles falling from the sky. If one looked closely at any of them, they'd find that they were so much more complicated than that. Intricate designs, strands of frozen water woven in and out to make millions of something so simple. Snowflakes.

     Suddenly everything began to shake violently as the snow began to settle. It looked like a blizzard now. Thousands of tiny white snowflakes whirling around like a tornado. Then the shaking stopped, and slowly the snow began to fall gently again.

     A sigh could be heard.

    "I wonder if it's snowing in Japan."

     Michelle looked down at the snow globe in her hand, and watched the snow fall.

    "I wish it would snow here." Tia, her blonde friend, said to her.

    "I know what you mean…" Michelle replied.

    "Cheer up, you guys. It's a few days before Christmas! Christmas is supposed to be happy!" Arika said to them while carrying a tray full of sprinkled sugar cookies from the kitchen. She set it down on the floor where her friends were sitting and settled down next to Kimi.

    "Maybe if it was a white Christmas…" Kimi said, rolling her eyes.

    "Anyway, either way it won't matter." Michelle reminded them.

    "Well I'm sure it's snowing in Japan!" Tia piped up.

    "Stupid Virginia…" Arika muttered. "I wish it would rain in winter as much as it did in the warmer seasons."

    "Really!" Tia agreed.

     Michelle reached over and grabbed a cookie. "I can't wait to get there… Rei won't believe what I got him!"

    "Did they finally come in?" Kimi asked her.

    "Yeah, finally. I was so worried they wouldn't." She replied.

    "Mm… well, I hope your Christmas is the best in Japan." Rina finally spoke from next to Tia.

    "Ditto." Tia told her.

    "I think all of us wish you the best Christmas with him." Arika spoke up.

     Michelle nodded and smiled, taking another cookie and stuffing that in her mouth.

***************************

He gently kissed her cherry lips…

***************************

~

     She started packing that night. She couldn't believe that she was spending her Christmas away from her friends and family this year. But just this once, it was worth it. Just to see the look on his face when he saw her present… she smiled, almost laughed, at the thought. That was the first thing she had tucked away into her bag. The present. Safely tucked away under all the other stuff so that she wouldn't forget it.

     She stopped what she was doing when she heard a soft knock at the door.

    "Come in!"

    "You didn't have to tell me to." Her mother walked in and closed the door behind her.

    "Hey mom."

    "Make sure you have everything ready. You don't want to forget anything," She said, sitting down at the foot of the bed.

    "Mom, it's two days before the flight, relax."

    "Knowing you, you'll probably forget _something_."

    "I'm sure…" She continued stuffing things in her duffle bag, ignoring her mother for the time being.

    "So… are you going to be alone with this…boy?"

    "Mom!"

    "Hey, I'm just looking out for my baby girl!"

    "I don't need you to. He's not like other boys."

    "That's what they all seem like at first." 

     Michelle sighed. "I'm not even gonna try arguing with you."

    "Just be careful, okay? You're going to be on the other half of this planet, for goodness sake, can't a mother worry?"

    "I'll be fine. Don't worry about me."

    "Whatever you say… anyway, hurry up, dinner's ready downstairs."

    "Thanks."

     She watched as her mom walked away and out the door, closing it behind her. She then shook her head. Her mom could be so cool at times, but mothers will be mothers. She shrugged. It would be okay if she paused. She had another full day to get ready for the flight. Besides, she was hungry!

~*~

***************************

I found that so hard to believe…

***************************

     Mariah watched as he boarded the taxi. She couldn't believe it. He had told her yesterday that she was coming, but the information had yet to sink in. True, she had never met her, but she had expected to spend winter with him, and Lee, _without_ anyone else. What was her name again???

****************************

Because his kiss belonged to me

****************************

     Oh yeah… Michelle. That girl from America that had battled the BladeBreakers. She couldn't believe how close they had come to beating them. Everyone was so sure that the BladeBreakers had finally had their first defeat, until a very important detail had been discovered. She remembered how ecstatic she had been when they had announced that the boys had won. She had jumped up screaming, completely overjoyed.

Yes, she remembered now. The girl with the dark green hair. She was Rei's newest rival.

     She watched as the taxi drove off, and waved to it, knowing that Rei probably couldn't see her anyway.

******************************

How could an angel break my heart?

******************************

     She turned around and saw Lee leaning on the doors to the building, his arms crossed. She glared at him.

    "It's not fair! This Christmas was supposed to be special, just us! How was I supposed to know he already had guests coming?!"

    "Relax, Mariah. It'll be good for you, she'll be someone you can hang out with when me and Rei do."

    "_I_ was gonna 'hang out' with Rei… I wonder if she's nice…"

    "She obviously is if he's befriended her this much."

     Mariah sighed in defeat. She remembered her face. She was pretty. No, not pretty. She was beautiful.

    "Beautiful…" She whispered.

    "What was that?" Lee asked. He had been walking back inside when he heard her say something, and turned around to look at her.

    "Nothing." She said, and followed his lead all the way back to the apartment.

********************************

Why didn't he catch my falling star?

********************************

~

     Rei watched as the doors for the arriving passengers opened, and took notice of every person walking out, looking for her. People kept pouring out of the doors, but he had yet to see her. Then he caught a glimpse of something. Two buns. Michelle.

    "Michelle! Over here!"

~~~~~*****~~~~~

    "I'm gonna miss you guys… a lot. Merry Christmas to all of you." Michelle said as she finished hugging all of her friends.

    "Michelle, honey, we're going to be late…" Her mother called to her from the Benz.

    "Same to you, Michelle. Hope you have fun!" Arika called as she waved to her.

    "I will!" Michelle waved back before she got into the car.

    "We love ya girl!" Kimi shouted to her.

    "Love ya too!" She replied back.

     The four girls waved at her as she waved back at them. Her mother closed her door and walked over to the passenger seat in the front.

    "Ready, hun?" She asked her.

     Michelle breathed deeply. "Ready as I'll ever be…"

     Her dad smiled through the rearview mirror and took off with the car. Soon they were at the airport.

    "Merry Christmas, honey." Her mother said, kissing her on her cheek.

    "We love you, and we'll miss you." Her dad said, hugging her.

    "Think of this as a vacation in your own home, no kids." She said to them, winking.

     Her mother laughed at her and her father winked back. She waved to them and turned to drop her bag on the conveyer belt for security check and walked through the metal detector. She picked up her bag when she got through, and with one more wave to her parents, walked away to find her gate. When she found it, she sat in one of the black, plastic seats as she waited for the doors to open. About five minutes of waiting was all it took, and the speakers of the airport blared out.

    "Now boarding for gate D9 to Japan."

     She picked up her stuff and walked through the gate, into the air-conditioned boarding bus. She sat and waited until the vehicle pulled away from the gate and lowered to the ground. Soon after, they were on their way to the plane, and before she knew it, she was off the bus and in her seat on the plane.

**

     The plane ride wasn't too long, about a day, but it left her restless. It felt pretty long to her… but it was okay. It was worth it. Soon after she had slept, woken up, and eaten breakfast, she was relieved to hear that they were closing in on Japan.

     She sighed in happiness.

     She had finally arrived…

~~~~~*****~~~~~

     Michelle's head snapped to where she had heard her name being called. She looked through the crowd to find Rei trying to get her attention, standing as tall as he could and waving his had in the air. She thought it was a funny sight. He relaxed when he realized she had noticed him.

     She picked up her bag and walked over to him.

    "Hey! Welcome to Japan!"

    "Thank God…"

    "Bad flight?" He asked her.

    "Annoying flight." She replied back.

    "Well, we better get going. Do you have any extra luggage?"

    "Nope. I'm only staying for a week, remember?"

    "So, you're going to be here for New Year's?"

    "Most likely."

    "That's great!" He laughed. "Maybe I should invite the other girls to come, too!"

    "It'd be great to spend it with them. Man, I didn't think I'd miss them so much so soon!"

    "It's expected…"

    "Hmm…" She sighed.

    "Let's go!" He said enthusiastically. She smiled at him and followed. "I'll take that, ma'am." He said mockingly to her, taking her duffle bag from her.

    "Well thank you, good sir!" She laughed.

    "I have a taxi waiting outside, and he's charging by the minute, so we'd better hurry."

     She winced. "Did you have to wait that long?" 

     He laughed.

~*~

     Mariah paced around the apartment. Why were they taking so long?

    "Sit down, Mariah!" Lee said, a towel over his neck. He had decided to shower while he waited since there was nothing to do but watch T.V. But now he was done, and had just stepped out of the bathroom, bare-chested, to find Mariah _still_ pacing the floor. But now she wasn't just pacing the living room like he had left her… she was pacing through the hallway to the rooms and back, and even occasionally through the kitchen. He had caught her coming out of the kitchen.

    "They're taking too long."

    "He's all the way at the airport, _WAITING_ for her. At least you have something to do here! Now relax!"

    "I would relax if I didn't know he was picking up some beautiful American girl…" She mumbled.

    "What was that?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

    "Nothing… just nothing." She sighed heavily and flopped down on the couch in front of the T.V.

*****************************

I wish I didn't wish so hard…

*****************************

    "That's much better." He said, turning around to go to his current room.

     She sighed slowly and quietly to herself when she heard him close the door. This was bothering her, so much. Why? Why did she have to spoil her Christmas with him? It was supposed to be _their_ Christmas. Lee had already ruined half of it by crashing her party and declaring that he would come along. But to have another girl join in? If she had to fight to keep Rei, then so be it. This would have to be war…

********************************

Maybe I wished our love apart…

********************************

~*~

     Rei paid the driver as Michelle pulled out her bag from the trunk.

    "So, where's  your place?" she asked him.

    "Eighth floor up."

    "Hm… not too high."

    "The building's fourteen stories high."

    "I see."

     The taxi drove off.

    "Well, let's go!" She said.

    "Wait, Michelle…"

    "Hmm?" She turned to face him.

    "When you get up there, you're going to meet two members of the White Tigers."

    "You mean from Hong Kong?"

    "Yeah."

    "Which ones?" She asked.

    "Lee, my rival, and Mariah."

    "Your girlfriend?"

     He blushed. "Wha-? No! She's not my girlfriend!" He replied, putting his hands up in defense.

    "_Sure_." She smiled.

     He smiled back at her and pulled up her duffle bag, swinging it over his shoulder. "Jeez, what do you have in this thing?"

    "You'll see." She winked at him.

     He stared at her. He blinked. He stared some more. Some light crimson slowly began to creep onto his cheeks.

     She rolled her eyes at him.

    "Come on…"

*********************************

How could an angel break my heart?

*********************************

~*~

     Mariah jumped as she heard the door knock.

_    'Finally!'_ She thought.

     She ran to the door and opened it. The first thing she saw was… her.

    "Michelle?"

    "You must be Mariah. It's great to finally meet you!" She smiled and stuck out her had. Mariah slowly took it with her mouth slightly agape. She was even more beautiful in reality than she was in the media.

*********************************

I heard her face was white as rain…

*********************************

    "Um… same to you."

     Rei walked past them, heaving the duffle bag in, and disappeared into the hallway.

     It was at that moment Lee had decided to walk out and see what the commotion was about. He watched as he set the bag in Mariah's room, across from the bathroom. He wondered if he'd already settled that with Mariah or not.

     As soon as Rei walked out, he called out to him. Rei looked back at him.

    "Hey, I didn't notice you there…"

    "Is she finally here?"

    "Yep. Come say hi."

     Lee followed Rei out into the living room, to find that her and Mariah were at opposite ends of the couch.

    "Really?" He heard Mariah say to her. She sounded completely breath taken.

    "Yeah, you have no idea. I think she's so cool. I always did have a thing for cats."

     Mariah stared at her. Had she just heard her right? She had told her that she admired her bit beast, Galux, and herself. She stared at the beautiful girl before her, dumbfounded. She was part of the team that had almost won the champions of the Beyblade world, and she was saying this to _her_?

*********************************

Soft as a rose that blooms in May…

*********************************

    "Your bit beast… it's a Tiger, right?"

    "Yep."

    "Oh…"

*****************************

He keeps her picture in a frame…

*****************************

~*~

     Christmas Eve… Sure, she was tired. But it was the night before Christmas. There was no way she was sleeping early. At the moment, Mariah, Rei, Lee, and herself were huddled up in front of the T.V., watching the opening to Disney's "The Nightmare Before Christmas." It was one of Michelle's favorite movies. She had watched this movie every Christmas Eve since she had first been introduced to the movie. Apparently she never got tired of it.

    "I've never seen it," Mariah spoke up.

    "You'll love it!" Michelle assured her.

**********************************

And when he sleeps he calls her name…

**********************************

**

     The movie was finally at its end, and Mariah was cuddled up at the end of the couch hugging a pillow. Rei was on the floor, back leaning against the comforter, and Michelle was leaning against the couch, sitting on the floor, on the opposite side of Mariah. Lee was sitting in the middle, closer to Mariah, on the couch.

     Someone yawned.

     Michelle, Lee, and Rei looked up at Mariah.

    "I'm so tired…" She said sleepily.

    "It's Christmas Eve! C'mon, Mariah!" Michelle said, half-heartedly.

    "I think we're all a little tired," Lee concluded.

    "Good point." Michelle looked around at everyone, and noticed that her eyes were a little heavy as well.

    "So… Good night?" Rei asked quietly.

    "I guess so…" Mariah almost whispered.

    "We'd better go before someone has to carry her to bed." Lee said, staring at her.

    "Eh, you've got a point there…" Rei agreed.

     Michelle nodded in agreement with them, and Mariah held out her hand. Michelle just smiled, almost laughed, and pulled her up. Mariah wobbled all the way to her room, and Michelle followed. Rei and Lee went to their own spaces, and soon the girls could hear them snoring before they were even at the foot of their beds.

    "So, you're staying here, with me?" Mariah asked her, only half awake as she threw herself on her bed.

    "Yep."

    "See you in the morning." She mumbled.

    "G' night." And with that, the two girls blacked out.

********************************

I wonder if she makes him smile…

********************************

     Rei yawned as he threw his legs over the side of the bed. The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was white.

_    'The snow's still falling…'_

     He shivered slightly as he finally realized how cold it was. He yawned again and rubbed at his eyes. He might as well get up…

     When he was finally up and ready, he walked outside to the living room, stretching.

    "MERRY CHRISTMAS!!"

     Rei choked on his breath as he almost tripped on his carpet, catching himself before he fell back.

    "What the…?"

    "Merry Christmas, Rei!" Mariah repeated.

     He looked at her as she walked up to him, giving him a present wrapped in silver and green wrapping paper. He reached out slowly and took the present from her. He wondered what she could have gotten him.

    "Well, I… Wow…" He said, pausing, and looking around. They had decorated his apartment in streamers, red, green, and white everywhere. On top of his T.V., on the wall, was a sign made of streamers and glitter, saying "Merry Christmas." They had really gone all out. He was half expecting to turn to his side and find a humongous Christmas tree.

    "Open the present, Rei!" Mariah said to him, taking him out of his stupor.

    "Oh, yea." He walked over to the couch and sat down, unwrapping the present. He opened the box and looked inside.

    "I didn't know what to get you, and I found this, and I thought it was cute!" She told him.

     He touched the soft fabric inside and pulled it out. A five-foot white scarf with green ends and little green Driggers all over it. He stared at it. Michelle burst out laughing and bounded over to where Rei was.

    "That's so cute! I love it!" She laughed. "Try it on, Rei!"

     She grabbed the scarf when he wouldn't move and wrapped it around his neck.

    "Warm," He stated absentmindedly.

********************************

The way he used to smile at me

********************************

     She giggled at him.

    "Wake up, Rei!"

    "So… you like it?" Mariah asked him.

    "Huh?" He looked up at her, seeing the hope in her eyes. He smiled softly.

    "It's great…" He said, just as soft.

     Mariah smiled back at him.

    "Well… I guess I should give you my presents then…"

     Rei had given the girls each their presents. Mariah had opened hers to reveal a cute, golden charm bracelet, with little Galux charms hanging off of it. She had loved it so much, she'd surprised him by squealing and glomping him. Michelle had been next, and he'd surprised her, too, by giving her something she'd completely forgotten about. A framed picture of something he'd taken of her back in America, when he'd caught her by surprise after the tournaments had been over. She'd stared at it for thirty seconds straight, then stared at him, then burst out laughing.

    "There's more," he'd told her.

     She stopped and looked inside the Christmas bag that he'd put the present in, and pulled out a cute, fuzzy silver diary. It had the name Tigra written on it in intricate cursive. With it, strapped to the side, was a furry silver pen with a chain at the top, where there was a cute feather, and at the end of the chain was a Tigra charm.

    "It's adorable! I love it! Thank you, Rei!" She'd hugged him, hard for it, and he'd hugged her back, smiling, glad that she had liked it so much. It took him forever to find something right for her. He didn't know her _that_ well yet.

********************************

I hope she doesn't make him laugh

********************************

     Finally, it was Michelle's turn to pull out her gift. She handed it over to him, and he took it slowly from her. He looked at it. It was wrapped in gold, with a green bow on the top. Simple. He smiled.

    "It took me forever to find the right thing for you, but eventually I found something just right."

     He looked puzzled for a second as he pondered what she could have gotten him. He shrugged and began slowly tearing open the wrapping paper.

****************************

Because his laugh belongs to me

****************************

      It was a small box. He shook it. The present was extremely light, but there was more than one thing in there. He was curious. He opened the box and looked inside. There were four pieces of paper inside. Three that were identical, and one that was at the bottom, covered by the first three. Under all of them was a large card that took up half the area of the box, placed in the middle. He stared long and hard, trying to let what he saw sink in.

    "H-How did you…?"

    "What is it, Rei?!" Mariah asked him, impatient.

*****************************

How could an angel break my heart?

*****************************

    "It's…" He stuttered, trying to find his voice again.

     He kept staring into the box, as if he was afraid to look away in fear that what he saw would disappear.

    "Tickets?" Lee was leaning over Rei's shoulder, getting a good look at what was in there.

    "Yep! Tickets to the new BBA sponsored and owned Beyblade Resort down in Las Vegas. Each ticket holds four persons, so in total it's twelve. One ticket represents one room, so there's four people in each room. It's a reserved spot, so no matter when you go in the next two years, those rooms will always be vacant. You can take twelve people, including yourself, to the resort, and it's your decision who to take. It expires when the two years are over. With it is a brochure. It tells you everything that's there, all the fun stuff and everything. It even has a map of the place that you can carry around incase you don't know what's where." Michelle explained, feeling triumphant.

    "Wow…" Mariah breathed out.

***************************

Why didn't he catch my falling star?

***************************

    "I can't believe it…" Lee said, staring at her in amazement.

    "How did you manage to get these???" Rei questioned.

    "Easy. Well… maybe not so easy. It took me a while, but when I found out that Max's mom runs the BBA, I figured I could try. It was hard, but I eventually got through, and even got to talk to her. I told her what I wanted them for and she mentioned that she'd more than just met you. When I told her what team I was from and everything, she said she'd do what she could to send them to me. They arrived about four days before my flight through the mail."

    "So… you got them directly from the American BBA?" Lee asked her.

    "Can you believe it? I thought they would let me down, but they didn't."

****************************

I wish I didn't wish so hard…

****************************

     Mariah stared as Rei put the box down on the table. He reached over and pulled out the three tickets, and held them in one hand, while pulling out the brochure with his other. He stared back and forth between them both, the information still sinking in.

******************************

Maybe I wished our love apart…

How could an angel break my heart?

******************************

     Mariah felt crushed, defeated. She remembered now that she had said it was war if this girl thought she could take Rei from her. But how could she compete with something like that? Michelle was beautiful in her eyes, perfect in so many ways. To top it off, she had all the connections. Mariah couldn't remember a time in her life when she'd left Rei so dumbfounded, breath taken, and amazed. It wasn't fair. This Christmas was supposed to be theirs. Theirs alone. It just… wasn't fair…

****************************

Oh, my soul is dying… it's crying

****************************

    "So, I take it you like it?" She heard Michelle ask.

    "Oh, man, definitely!" He said, still amazed.

     Mariah looked up at him, seeing complete bliss in his eyes. She wanted to make him feel like that. It just wasn't fair…

     She reached over to the box and pulled out the card. She opened it, and skimmed through it with her eyes. She closed it, and looked at the cover. A cute little Christmas teddy bear, with a Santa Clause hat and presents surrounding him. Cute…She opened the card again, and looked at the writing. It was in gold, in fancy, small writing. Italics.

    "Read it, Mariah!" Rei told her. He'd momentary forgotten about the card.

     Mariah looked up for a moment, wondering whether she should or not. She looked down at the card and smiled slowly. "I… I think you should read it on your own…"

****************************

I'm trying…to understand

Please help me…

****************************

    "Is everything okay, Mariah?" Michelle asked her, concerned.

     She looked up at the American girl, and smiled even more at her. "I'm fine…"

    "Hey…" Lee spoke softly. "I think… I think I'll go make us all some hot chocolate, what do you say?"

    "I think that'd be nice." Michelle told him gratefully.

     He nodded and glanced at Mariah as he walked by. He wondered what could be wrong with her. She always seemed to get like that when she knew something was wrong with Rei. There was something in that card… but what could be in that card that could make her so… down? Then he remembered something… She had something against that girl with Rei. She probably felt outdone. He sighed. This wasn't going to be the best Christmas for him or her, he could tell.

**

     Mariah decided to take her drink outside, and watched the light snow continue to drift down to the ground. She felt someone come up behind her, and looked to her right to find Rei there with her.

    "Hey, Mariah. I was wondering… are you sure you're okay?"

    "Yeah, I'm fine, Rei, really."

    "You sure? You seemed… quiet… all of a sudden. Something like that…"

    "I just felt tired for a second, that's all. Really, Rei, you shouldn't worry so much about me. I'm fine."

    "Yeah, I guess…"

     They stood in silence for a moment. Then…

    "Hey… Rei?"  
    "Yeah?"

    "I wanted to ask you…" She paused.

    "What is it?"

    "Well… what do you think of her? Michelle, I mean."

    "Michelle? Why, what do you mean?"

    "I don't know. I think she's beautiful, and really sweet. I don't know what I was expecting from her, but it definitely wasn't this. I didn't expect to like her so much."

    "Yeah, she is something. You're right…" He started, looking into space for a few seconds. "She is really pretty, and she's real sweet. I don't know… why do you ask?"

    "I just… I don't know. Just… curiosity."

    "Oh…"

    "Well, I'm gonna go to the bathroom really quick."

    "I'll take your drink."

    "Thanks…" She said.

     Rei stepped inside and placed her drink on the table and watched her walk to the bathroom. He felt like there was something wrong, Mariah wasn't acting very normal. He thought about it for a while, and figured he wouldn't pry. She'd talk to him when she was ready.

~*~

     Mariah looked at herself in the mirror, and felt like she wanted to tare the glass apart. How could she have been so stupid! Of course she was beautiful… beautiful, sweet, smart… everything a guy would want. She couldn't compete. There was no way. She felt like bursting. But before she could, she heard a knock at the door.

    "Mariah? You in there?"

     A soft voice… of course. There was only one person that voice could belong to.

    "I'll be out in a sec!"

    "Mariah, let me in."

    "I'm in here."

    "I know that… Just open the door… I know something's wrong Mariah, let me in."

     Mariah turned around slowly and opened the door, and Michelle gently pushed her to the side and stepped in, closing the door behind her.

******************************

How could an angel break my heart?

******************************

     "Mariah… what's wrong?"

    "Nothing."

    "Oh really? Is that why you just disappeared into the bathroom for five minutes, locking yourself in, looking like you're about to cry?"

    "Huh?" Mariah looked up in surprise. Was she really in there for that long? It didn't feel that long.

    "Mariah, you can tell me."

    "It's nothing, really… just a bit homesick, that's all…"

    "Are you sure that's all it is?"

     She nodded.

     Michelle accepted it without any more prying. She had a feeling Mariah was lying, but if she really didn't want to tell her, it wasn't her place to get her to talk.

    "I really do hope that's all it is…" And with that, Michelle was out the door.

     Mariah turned back around to look at herself in the mirror and just for a second, allowed herself to cry.

******************************

Why didn't he catch my falling start?

******************************

**

    "She said she was just a little homesick, that's all. She wouldn't say anything else."

    "It's not that. There's more to it, I know it. She's just too stubborn to admit anything." Lee said stubbornly.

    "Look, guys, it's not our place to pry into her privacy. If she doesn't wanna tell us, we shouldn't force her to."

    "She's right, Lee. All we can do is leave her to sort it out on her own." Rei added.

     Lee sighed in defeat. They were right… he couldn't do anything anyway. So he sat… and waited.

     Eventually, she had come out, fully refreshed. They had looked at her in concern, and she'd smiled back like there had been nothing wrong. They had all exchanged glances, and she'd come back to take her drink. She pouted when she realized it had gotten cold. Then she smiled wide as she bounded over to the kitchen, and returned with a steaming hot drink. The others were still confused, but eventually shrugged it off and figured she'd say something at some point.

~*~

      It was January, New Year's Day, 4:00 AM, and the guys were smiling the widest smiles ever. The apartment was still decorated, only this time the sign on top of the T.V. said "Happy New Year's" instead of "Merry Christmas." Michelle had slumped and lain down on the couch, while Lee had occupied the comforter. Mariah was sitting on the floor, leaning against the T.V., while Rei was sitting back against the couch. They were all laughing.

    "That was so fun, you guys!" Michelle yelled with a laugh.

     They had just had a New Year's party, and had invited the rest of the BladeBreakers over. They had all counted down until midnight and then thrown confetti everywhere. Michelle didn't remember having so much fun. They were so exhausted.

    "Man… I know what you mean…" Lee agreed.

    "So… what now??" Mariah asked, a huge smile still plastered on her face.

     Everyone stayed quiet, wondering what they would do since the guys had left an hour ago, and no one had any more fun stories or jokes to tell, like they had been doing since the 'Breakers had left.

    "I guess… we just chill and talk until we all drop dead…" Rei laughed. The others laughed with him, and agreed.

     So they continued that night, doing just that, until they had all fallen asleep exactly where they were.

~*~

     The next morning found them all awake, packing for their respective flights home. Mariah and Lee would leave first, and then the day after, it would be Michelle's turn to go home. In truth, Michelle couldn't wait to see her friends and family again.

     Michelle dusted off her hands and put them on her hips.

    "Well…" She said. "That's that."

     She walked out of the room to find everyone gathered around the T.V., completely quiet. She flopped down on the couch between Lee and Rei, and put her knees up so as to keep Mariah comfortable, since she was in the middle too, but on the floor under her.

    "What's going on?" She asked them.

    "Just enjoying each others company while taking turns." Mariah said.

    "Doing what?" She asked.

    "Flipping through channels," replied Rei.

    "Oh… Sounds fun…"

*********************

I wish I didn't wish so hard…

*********************

~*~

    "I'm going to miss you so much Rei…" Mariah said as she gave him one last hug.

    "I'll beat you someday, bro, I promise you. Come visit us in the village, we all miss you." Lee added.

    "I will… someday." And with that, they shook hands and Lee and Mariah were on their way to China.

    "Wow, I'm gonna miss them. Lee was great, and Mariah was so cool."

    "So, you liked Mariah?"

    "Yeah, definitely."

     Rei smiled and laughed. "I'm glad."

     Michelle smiled back.

~*~

     It was her turn to go, and she gave Rei a tight hug. He hugged her back softly and she let go slightly.

    "I had a great time, Rei, thanks for everything."

    "I'll be calling you and the girls to go to that resort, okay? Be ready for it."

     She smiled at him. "I will…"

*************************

Maybe I wished our love apart…

*************************

~*~

     Mariah stared out of her window. She was cuddled on her bed and staring out at the stars. She wondered what could have happened between Michelle and Rei after she had left. She dared not think of anything more than friendly. She hoped that Rei would come to visit them like Lee had said, and then it would be in her power to get what she wanted so badly. Michelle was such a nice girl, and she really did like her, but that didn't mean she'd give Rei up to anyone. Not anyone, no matter who or what. She'd never give him up, and she silently made that vow to herself.

_    'I love you… Rei Kon…'_

****************************

How could an angel break my heart?

****************************

**YAY!!! Finally, it's over!! 25 friggin pages!!! I hope you ppl are proud of me. I'm not too proud of the chapter itself, I feel like I could have given so much more, but I've been working on it for three days and I don't know what else to do. But I'm very proud of the length, and I think 25 pages is way more than enough. I'm sorry it's not a very happy story, nor is it a happy ending, but I didn't wanna make it sad since it was Christmas, so I made it a neutral ending. I'm sorry if the song doesn't fit the story exactly right, but I couldn't find a song that I could put that was any better than that. Hope it's satisfying enough!**

**P.S. There's more to the song than what I put. Here's the extra part if you guys are wondering… it's around the middle.**

**"I heard her face was white as rain…**

**(Your face is white as rain)**

**Soft as a rose that blooms in May…**

**(Soft as a rose…)**

**He keeps her picture in a frame**

**(I keep your picture)**

**And when he sleeps he calls her name  
    (I only call our your name)**

**I wonder if she makes him smile**

**(She doesn't make me smile)**

**The way he used to smile at me**

**(I only smile at you)**

**I hope she doesn't make him laugh**

**(She doesn't make me laugh)**

**Because his laugh belongs to me**

**(My laugh belongs to you)**

**How could an angel break my heart?**

**(You are my heart)**

**Why didn't he catch my falling star?**

**(I'll catch your star)**

**I wish I didn't wish so hard**

**(Don't wish so hard)**

**Maybe I wished our love apart**

**(Loves falls apart…)**

**How could an angel break my heart?**

**Oh my soul is dying, it's crying…**

**(My love… I know that… I know your soul is dying**

**I know your soul is crying, I know that you've been dying)**

**I'm trying… (Trying to) to understand (understand)**

**Please help me… (Please help me…)**

**How could an angel break my heart?**

**(I'll never break your heart)**

**Why didn't he catch my falling star?**

**(I'll catch your falling star)**

**I wish I didn't wish so hard…**

**(You never wished too hard)**

**Maybe I wished our love apart**

**(We're not apart)**

**How could an angel break my heart?"**

****I started it from the second verse, incase anyone's confused ^_^ Okay then…**

**MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!**

**~*AnimePrincess*~  
    ~*Arika Morance*~**


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